In the semiconductor art of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, it is known to provide a PECVD reactor for depositing dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, and the like, and such a reactor will typically include a quartz tube which is maintained at a pressure of about 1 Torr or greater. The reactive gasses such as silane, oxygen, nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane which are frequently used in this process are introduced into the quartz tube which is typically maintained at a temperature in the range of between 200.degree. C. and 400.degree. C. The substrates that are to be deposited with a dielectric material are placed on electrodes which are typically made of graphite or aluminum, and R.F. power is applied to these electrodes to thereby create an R.F. plasma between the electrodes. This plasma dissociates and excites the reactive species within the reactor, and these reactor species in turn react with each other and thereby deposit a continuous layer of an insulating material on the substrate.
In order to then form a desired pattern in the thus deposited dielectric layer, it becomes necessary to employ some type of selective etching process to remove certain regions of the dielectric layer, as is well known. For example, conventional photolithographic masking, ultraviolet exposure and etching processes may be first used to form a photoresist mask on the dielectric layer, and then a selective etchant such as dilute hydrofluoric acid or a reactive plasma may then be used to remove the unprotected areas of the photoresist-masked dielectric layer to thereby form the desired pattern of openings therein.